ACTA is an international treaty aiming to standardise copyright protection measures. It seeks to curb trade of counterfeited physical goods, including copyrighted material online and foresees preventative measures include possible imprisonment and fines. It has however proved highly controversial, with critics arguing that it will stifle freedom of expression on the internet. ACTA has been signed by 22 EU member states, including the UK, but is yet to be ratified by the European Parliament. David Martin, the MEP appointed by Parliament to draw up its response, has recommended that the Parliament should say no to ACTA. The final vote in the International Trade Committee is due in the next few weeks and Parliament, as a whole, will vote on the issue before the summer. The purpose of the seminar is for Mr Martin to provide an update on discussions in the European Parliament and to set out his thinking in drawing up his report. There will then be a panel discussion and a Q&A session. The panel will be made up of: